On September 1, we used to wake up a little earlier: children gathered for school, parents felt the nervous excitement alongside first-graders, and after the summer break, normal school life resumed once again.
The war changed this picture. Today, thousands of our children are starting the school year far from their hometowns and villages. First-graders from Donetsk Oblast will sit at school desks for the first time in various corners of Ukraine. But wherever this school year begins, it remains a step into the future.
Dear schoolchildren and students! I wish that you never lose your curiosity about the world, that you courageously ask questions and find your calling. May your studies open new opportunities before you, and may there always be people by your side with whom you want to grow and move forward.
Special words go to our educators. Thank you for preserving the education of Donetsk Oblast and maintaining the connection with our children despite the war. To the parents — thank you for your support and strength, which are needed today far more than ever before.
May this school year be calmer. And may it bring closer the day when all children of Donetsk Oblast return to school at home once again.
Happy Knowledge Day!